5 stone - 5 months - DONE.

pebbleheed

Hi all,

I've not written on here before but I've been using MFP for a good few months now, so I thought I'd post.

I started off at 16 1/2 stone, overweight and not very fit, having once been a very active and fit person. I realised that I was doing myself no good and I saw myself in some photos with a double chin and moobs, so I decided enough was enough.

I started back at a gym, going 5 days a week, starting lightly at first and quickly getting back in to it quite quickly. I made my own routines from previous experience, a mix of cardio and weights. In addition to this I worked out my Basal Metabolic Rate and this is where MFP came in. I set MFP to my BMR for each day and I've stuck to it religiously ever since I started.

It took a lot of will power for around 2 weeks to get out of old bad habits, but then it became second nature. And this is why I like MFP because it helps to get in to a healthy eating pattern instead of a fad diet that you'll use to get to your target weight and then stop, putting weight back on.

I stopped relying on 3 meals a day and I've moved to several which is made up of breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack.

The results have been fantastic, within 5 months I was down to 11 1/2 stone, which for my height puts me well and truely at a respectable fit shape. I've got my abs back and a nice toned figure. Clothes don't drape over me now, they fit nicely and everyone from work colleagues to friends and family noticed. I've even had people I've never spoken to in my life at work come up to me asking how I've changed so much and three mates have now started with MFP as a result.

I recently had a fitness test with my GP and found my cholesterol is nice and low, my body fat is at an 'athletic' range, my visceral fat (important stuff) is nice and low and everything checks out nicely too. For a male in my 30s this is all good stuff and my GP was very impressed at my current state.

The funny thing is that I've done all this with a free tool - MFP and an £18 a month cheapy gym membership. I've not bought any expensive foods, it's just standard sensible stuff that doesn't bump up your shopping bill. I've not done any fad diets or anything silly and in a very short amount of time with a bit of reading, hard work and will power I've achieved what I wanted.

Every time someone's offered me something that wasn't going to go well with my calorie plan on MFP I've just thought that although it will taste nice for a few moments it will take a long time to work off. Nothing tastes as good as being in proper shape feels and that's not just a saying, it's true.

Although it's not the sole reason for my success, MFP has played a big part in helping me, so I want to say thanks for that. It's a great app and website. The only thing I'd like to see extra on it is an option to record what time I've eaten meals and snacks so I can track that, but other than that it's spot on. I especially like that I can keep an eye on my carbs, protein and sugars etc. which is all very helpful too.

For those just starting out with MFP if you set yourself a realistic plan, stick to it and apply a bit of will power you will succeed at what you want to achieve.